


It Feels Like all the Times Before

by ThereIsNoTragedyInThat



Series: On All Fronts [2]
Category: Triple Frontier (2019)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Falling In Love, Fluff, Francisco is just hopless, Introspection, M/M, Missing Scene, Santiago loves him a lot, Short & Sweet, but he's terrible with words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:26:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28367619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThereIsNoTragedyInThat/pseuds/ThereIsNoTragedyInThat
Summary: The hotel room was small, barely enough space for the double beds that were shoved into the corners, though its one saving grace was the small balcony overlooking the soaring hills of Colombia. Frankie leaned heavily on the rickety railing, cigarette dangling from his fingertips, inhaling the fresh air and teasing scent of rain on the wind.
Relationships: Santiago "Pope" Garcia/Francisco "Catfish" Morales
Series: On All Fronts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2077473
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	It Feels Like all the Times Before

**Author's Note:**

> Ugh I've fallen in love with these two.

The hotel room was small, barely enough space for the two beds that were shoved into the corners, though its one saving grace was the small balcony overlooking the soaring hills of Colombia. Frankie leaned heavily on the rickety railing, cigarette dangling from his fingertips, inhaling the fresh air and teasing scent of rain on the wind.

He was tired, the jetlag sitting heavily on his mind, and he was grateful Santiago had thought to arrive a day earlier so they could get their bearings and some much-needed rest. Then again, he wasn’t sure how comfortable the cot squeezed between the two beds would be.

Tom and Will would be sharing a room, a shake up that the others hadn’t failed to notice, though thankfully didn’t comment on. Typically, Will and Benny would bunk together and the rest of them would make do with whatever room was left. Not this time, not with Benny watching him like a hawk and playing referee between him and Santiago. It was both annoying and endearing to be taken care of so thoroughly by his best friend, to see the way he worried.

The door creaked open and he sighed, recognizing the soft footsteps with ease. Benny couldn’t be around all the time, no matter how hard he tried, and Frankie would by lying if he said he didn’t crave his company.

“Beautiful isn’t it?”

Frankie shook his head and put out his cigarette, “looks the same as the last time I saw it.” He turned around to find Santiago leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed in front of his chest, eyes watching him with a disturbing intensity. “Where is Benny?”

“Tom is taking him on a grocery run and Will is gonna come up in few minutes with the rest of the gear,” Santiago bit his lip, seemed to fidget with the sleeve of his coat. “Not afraid to be alone with me, are you?” His tone aimed for teasing, but Frankie knew him better than anyone and he could hear the uncertainty, the real questions beneath the words.

Leaning back a little, installing what space he could between them, he shook his head, “No.” Then because he didn’t want this conversation to get a little too close to the truth. “I’ve been going over some flight plans from a couple buddies of mine, have a few back up routes just in case-”

“Francisco, No quiero hablar del plan,” he murmured.

Shaking his head, Frankie settled his gaze firmly on the cracked tiles of the balcony, tried not to slump, didn’t want to seem as though he were hiding from Santiago, from this entire conversation, “then what _do_ you want to talk about?”

The other man hummed, seemed to let his eyes wander over him and Frankie had to suppress a shiver, could remember with startling clarity, the feeling of those hands on his skin, “why has Benny been circling me like a shark uh?”

Just like that the tension shattered and Frankie found himself chuckling softly, “you don’t need me to tell you that.”

He raised an eyebrow, “so you decided to entertain him with all the sordid details.”

Frankie shook his head, “no but he guessed most of it anyway. The kid isn’t stupid, neither are the rest of the team and we weren’t as good at hiding it as we thought.”

Santiago shrugged though a smile tugged at the corners of his lips, “I didn’t try all that hard to begin with.”

“I noticed.”

It was true, even though they never broadcasted their relationship. Their touches remained friendly and chaste in public, their banter never crossing the line between long time war buddies, their gazes never lingering beyond that of a concerned friend. Still…the others were their family and there was no hiding the way they bunked together every night, the silent communication, the way they often split off together during a mission.

It wasn’t strange or unheard of and Tom had only mentioned in once in the vaguest of terms, a memory that made him cringe to this day. Frankie hadn’t expected it though he should have, had taken the warning as something well-meaning and sincere. Turned out he should have listened a bit closer, can’t help but wonder if he’d been trying to warn him that Santiago might just up and disappear one day, that he shouldn’t have pretended it was something it wasn’t.

Santiago had shifted closer, moving out onto the balcony and Frankie winced, wondering if the old stone would be able to take both of their weight. There wasn’t much space to begin with and he wasn’t ignorant to the fact that the other man was using it to his advantage, getting right up in his space, looking at him exactly like he used to…like he loved him.

“Are we really going to need that cot tonight?”

Frankie let his eyes wander over his shoulder, taking in the small twin bed, calculating just how tightly they’d be pressed together, just how pissed Benny would be at him for caving so easily, just how desperate he was to feel the other man against him again. The numbers didn’t work in his favour. Too bad he didn’t care.

“No, no lo creo,” he mumured. “Pero solo estábamos durmiendo.”

“Good,” Santiago was grinning, reached a hand up only to rest it right against the spot where his neck met his shoulder, fingers running gently against the skin, just the way Frankie liked. “Promise not to let Benny go after me?”

“Depends on if you behave,” he forced out, heart hammering in his chest.

“Oh, I’ll be good. Scouts honor.”

At that Frankie had to laugh and Santiago joined him, his hand sliding over his shoulders just as the door to the hotel room opened again and Will came in, lugging the bags after him. When he saw them there, standing in bright sunlight on a flimsy balcony, he smiled, shaking his head.

Frankie felt something click into place, the last bit of their team finding its footing, not having realized that the others had been waiting, hoping for this. Regardless of what he and Santiago were to each other now…they’d always be family, comfort, home.

He’d take it, even if it came with heartbreak. 


End file.
